It's time to bring your finance department in house. After your Series A funding, outsourced accounting services become more expensive and more time-consuming than bringing it in. You want to ensure that as your company grows and adds new products, your finance team is ready to support.
It's time for a new operating model. Operating models can rely more on technology – such as an ERP system, a Purchase Order System, or Workflow Management System or people using simple tools such as spreadsheets. Your operating model will include new roles and responsibilities. Who will set up these systems and keep them controlled enough so that changes can’t be made without authorization but flexible enough to create customized reports for the future? Who will train your staff and check that processes are working correctly?
Clearly as a CFO you already know how to do this, so why would you bring a consultant to help you with something that you that you already know? We agree, and yet we still should be a part of your story.
Here are three reasons why having us at the table makes your future operating model achievable.
We make your ideas a reality
You've come up with an idea to change how your company operates. Ensuring that the financial reports are prepared quickly and with the right information, that cash is fully managed, that customers are paying on time for products and services, that vendors are paid on time to avoid outages in company operations are all things you know need to be done. But what will you need to do to make this happen? How will you know how much resource you need? What systems you'll use? That your idea can be achieved within the budget you've set?
Turning your idea into a reality is what we do. We take your ideas and confirm that they will work the way you expect, help you cost them to ensure that you’re not overpaying, and make sure that the right people are doing the right things the right way. We turn your idea into a reality – and we make sure you do it right.
Considering things that you might not
Have you ever considered the risk of someone making a payment which wasn’t authorized? Many CFOs tell use that they have a strict approval process within the banking platform which prevents unauthorized payments. We ask them, “Do you use checks?” For those that say yes, there’s generally only a need for one signatory. Red flag!
Advancing to IPO reviews all the risks within your financial processes – not just ones which are within the Finance Department. We look at who has access to cash, who can make changes to pricing within contracts or systems, and how your financial can be manipulated. As your company grows, the risk of misappropriation grows too.
When you bring Finance in house to protect the company, we make sure to consider the risks in advance so you set a process which gives you peace of mind that your team will uncover all abnormalities turning Finance into the trusted advisor needed to the business.
Testing to confirm
You're about to spends thousands on a brand new ERP, but have you actually done a full test to confirm that everything you want has been implemented. Your IT advisors aren't finance people. They're system experts. So while they've done great work to ensure that everything you asked for works – have you ensured that everything you wanted was asked for?
Advancing to IPO tests to confirm. We make sure that your system works the way Finance needs it to work, and we work with you to ensure that you scope works the way you intended to. We look at your system as a part of your process, not the process itself. When we test, we don't just test your system. We test your process. We make sure that your vision is implemented in entirety, and we make sure that you keep perspective.
Your target operating model - made easy
Turning your ideas into a reality isn't something which is easy. The different components of systems, staff, and the cultural changes can sometimes be daunting. On top of that, as a CFO you won't be able to stop your every day to focus on ensuring these things work. Advancing to IPO makes it happen.
Advancing to IPO isn't just a consulting service. We do not provide you with ideas and leave. Our project management support is from start to finish. We map your ideas and find the pitfalls, we help you mitigate the risks, and we implement your ideas into a reality which is agile, effective, and strong. Contact us today for your free consultation.
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